Impressed by Bethel’s calmness and maturity, McCollum said, “He’s got some class.” “I’m pretty disorganized with stuff; I’m always looking for my car keys or phone charger, but Bethel always has her keys.
“He is one of those guys who takes great care in his preparation and planning, which allows his talent and creativity to shine on the big stage. He is someone who, after what he has achieved in this series, we cannot wait to see more of him.” Couldn’t be happier.” I think he has shown that international cricket is for him.”
Cox was ruled out of the tour due to a broken thumb suffered before play on the second day of the practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI at Queenstown. Lacking another full-time gloveman, England turned to their vice-captain Pope, who dropped three places to six to focus solely on the role. Thus, the extra batsman Bethel was given the opportunity to have flexibility at the business end of the batting order.
Both Bethel and Pope departed New Zealand on Wednesday morning to join their Big Bash League teams, Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers respectively. But his situation had been brought to a head by the spectacle of his ugly dismissal at Seddon Park just 24 hours earlier.
Pope’s disappointing attempt to dismiss Matt Henry on the ramp, losing his off-stump for 17, was the source of most anger. Famous Kiwi commentator Ian Smith, who was on air with Sport Nation NZ at the time, was particularly scathing: “Sit him in a cold dark room and put some electrodes on his head and say ‘Ollie what were you thinking?’ “
Bethel, meanwhile, had shown impressive courage to avoid a sharp spell from 6ft 4in Will O’Rourke, before dismissing the retiring Tim Southee at deep point. This was his second attempt at a first professional century, with Bethel turning down the trip after missing out on four centuries in Wellington last week.
The message throughout the tour has been that the Pope will resume his post at the start of Ben Stokes’ tenure in 2022. Although he averages 40.28 in that slot, Bethel’s hard technique and assurance at the crease is appreciated by some. Better suited to three people than Pope’s usual insanity.
It all becomes a puzzle when Smith comes back into the team. England’s next Test match will be in May, a one-off four-day match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. And while no decisions need to be made yet, McCollum acknowledged that Pope’s spot is no longer guaranteed because of Bethel’s strong first impression.
“Look, it’s a good problem to have,” McCullum said. “When we asked Beth to do it we were all a little unsure whether Beth would be able to play at number three or not, but we saw the talent in her and she has done very well against a very good bowling line-up.
“They are good problems. We will work on it. Poppy has done really well for us and now by bringing Beth in there as well, you are adding some depth to your batting stock. They are good decisions and we will not make them “We’ll be working on everything over the next few days when we get together again in a few months.”
Results have been mixed, with nine wins and eight losses in 17 Test matches, including three series wins and two losses. Nevertheless, McCullum feels the team is now better equipped to face the challenges that lie ahead next year.
“emergence of [Brydon] Carse, Bethel, [Gus] Atkinson and Jamie Smith. We also have other people who have played different roles. The captain got injured in this Test, which we don’t think would be too bad… but his continued development as a captain and leader in the group as an all-rounder is also being supported.
“Overall, I think we are a better team than we were at that time (January), although we had some guys who performed well for us. Now I think we have a team that can compete with the best teams.” is capable of doing in the world, and soon we will find out.”
The new year has also brought new possibilities for McCullum as white-ball teams have come under his control. After a short break, his first duty will be a limited overs series in India before the ICC Champions Trophy in February. Naturally, he is excited at the prospect of bringing his Test flair to England’s ODI and T20I squads, after a year of failure in both World Cups.
“I’m excited about it, we’ll find out, right?” He said. “It’s not very often in life that you get to do things on a whim and that’s why I took up the Test job in the beginning.
“I’m excited about this with Jose [Buttler] There as captain. There is something to work on. Get this right and we can achieve some really great things over the next few years.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Leave a Reply